From April 9 to 29, 2024, Saskatchewan road users including motorists, pedestrians, cyclists, and passengers nominated and voted for their worst, unsafe roads. The common safety concerns for worst, unsafe roads included potholes, poor road maintenance, poor road signs or road marking, unpaved roads, traffic congestion, no or poor cycling infrastructure, or poor transit infrastructure.

Here are the CAA 2024 Top 10 Worst Roads and the primary unsafe reported problems:

1. Saskatchewan 8, Moosomin, Potholes
2. Saskatchewan 5, Buchanan, Poor Road Maintenance (Ranked #4 in CAA Worst Roads in 2023 and #5 in CAA Worst Roads 2022)
3. Saskatchewan 2, Cudworth, Potholes
4. Saskatchewan 22, Cupar, Potholes
5. Coteau Street West, Moose Jaw, Potholes (Ranked #2 Tie in CAA 2023 Worst Roads)
6. 4 Avenue Viaduct Southwest, Moose Jaw, Potholes (Ranked #7 in CAA 2022 Worst Roads)
7. Saskatchewan 22, Markinch, Potholes
8. Tie: Saskatchewan 9, Whitewood, Poor road maintenance (Ranked #6 in CAA 2023 Worst Roads)
   Saskatchewan 47, Springside, Potholes (Ranked #2 in CAA 2022 and 2018 CAA Worst Roads)
9. 13 Avenue Northwest, Moose Jaw, Potholes (Ranked #4 in CAA Worst Roads 2019)
10. 4 Avenue Southwest Moose Jaw, Potholes

The CAA 2024 Worst Roads campaign featured Angel Blair as the roving reporter who interviewed road users from five Saskatchewan communities with roads that made the CAA 2023 Worst Roads Top 10 list, including Eston, Hudson Bay, Whitewood, Redvers, and Pilot Butte. All interviews with Angel Blair are available for viewing here.

New for this year’s campaign was the grand prize of a $1,000 (one thousand dollar) Shell Gift Card courtesy of CAA Saskatchewan. All eligible votes were reviewed, and the winner will be announced soon.

Weather conditions, age of the roads, heavy traffic, and lack of maintenance can cause road deterioration. In cold climates like Saskatchewan, the freeze-thaw cycle plays a key role in creating potholes – a problem that occurs when temperatures regularly go above and below the freezing point. When rain or snow seeps through cracks and openings in the pavement, it freezes and expands, causing the pavement to heave upward. As temperatures rise, the ground underneath the pavement returns to its normal level, leaving a cavity or hole which breaks apart with continued traffic by road users over the fractured pavement.

Saskatchewan is a landlocked province and has almost 250,000 km of roads, the highest length of road surface compared to any other province in Canada. These roads, often a lifeline for many residents, are used on a regular basis for business and leisure road travel and when these roads are allowed to deteriorate, road users pay the price.

CAA Saskatchewan is a recognized and trusted safety advocate, and the CAA Worst Roads is an online engagement campaign aimed at drawing attention to our province’s worst, unsafe roads. The top ten worst roads for 2024 will be shared with stakeholders including government and business leaders in hopes of sparking conversation and action.

Working towards better roads and safety for all road users is a priority for CAA Saskatchewan.
 

Media Contacts:
Christine Niemczyk
Director, Corporate Communications & Public Relations
CAA Saskatchewan
306.529.8212
christine.niemczyk@caask.ca

Angel Blair
Senior Communications Specialist
CAA Saskatchewan
306.216.7362
angel.blair@caask.ca